Coin-operated, coin-pressing machines have been known and popular for more than one hundred years. These machines are usually found at theme parks, zoos, aquariums, fairs, and many other tourist attractions. A coin-pressing machine of the type referred to allows a customer to press a coin, such as a penny, into an elliptical shape and at the same time to emboss a design on the penny, thereby to allow the customer to obtain a souvenir item. Alternatively, the item-to-be-pressed may be a blank token provided by the machine when it is operated.
Modern coin-pressing machines are typically operated by inserting a payment coin, such as an American quarter, into a coin-receiving slot of the machine, like any vending machine. The coin-to-be-pressed may be inserted into the machine along with the payment coin, or alternatively, the machine may release a blank token-to-be-pressed in response to insertion of the payment coin. Thereafter, if the machine is electrically powered, the machine automatically produces the pressed souvenir and delivers it to a receptacle in the machine convenient for retrieval by the customer. Hand-crank models are still also in use.
The known coin-pressing machines have one position or station from which to operate the machine. In other words, only one customer can press his or her token at one time and only one coin or token can be successfully pressed at a time. If others wish to use the machine, they must wait in line. Since the business profitability of owning and operating such machines depends on their frequency of use, that is, on the number of coins or tokens that are pressed, and thus the number of payment coins that are received, over a given period, such serial use greatly reduces the throughput and the resultant profitability of the machine.
Although it thus is desirable to provide more than one station from which to operate the machine, the known machines are only single station machines. Operating such coin-pressing machines from multiple positions presents certain problems that must be solved for smooth operation. Of primary importance, it is imperative that only one coin or token be delivered to the press in any given pressing cycle. If more than one such item is in the press at the same time, the press will cause the items to be imperfectly pressed, typically resulting in a super elongated item that will have sharp and dangerous edges. Moreover, with multiple items simultaneously in the press, the drive motor may not possess sufficient power to complete the pressing operation, causing serious damage to the motor, the press, or both, or perhaps causing the machine to jam.
Controlling the movement of coins- or tokens-to-be-pressed through such a coin-pressing machine is thus very important, not only to provide a machine with multiple operating stations, but even for single station machines. If a coin-pressing machine jams or otherwise malfunctions, especially if it is a single-station machine, it produces no revenue until it has been repaired.